We Count Them Blessed Who Endure

The next word on our What Leads To Success list is persist.  Some other words would be endure, hang on,  and my favorite; perseverance.  God has a lot to say about this through the Bible.  Let's start with one of my all time favorite passages.

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

There are two things that I take from this passage.  God is big on perseverance.  Not because He likes to see us struggle but because there is a purpose.  The purpose is that it is a part of a chain of events leading to God.  Let's look at some of the other verses.

Luke 11:5-8(NKJV)

5And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 

6for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 

7and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 

8I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Here God shows us an example of how persistence can help us get what we want or need.

Romans 8:24-25(NKJV)

24For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 

25But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Perseverance is part of how we demonstrate our faith to God.  He gives us promises and while we may not see them fulfilled exactly as we expected when we expected, we continue to believe in His promises. 

2 Corinthians 12:12(NKJV)

12Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. 

Great things are accomplished through perseverance.  The story about Thomas Edison having 10,000 failed experiments on his way to inventing the light bulb. 

James 5:11(NKJV)

11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

And we all know the story of Job.  Talk about perseverance.

2 Peter 1:5-6(NKJV)

5But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 

6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 

Here again we see perseverance as part of another chain of events in God's plan.  Perseverance leads to godliness.

Revelation 3:10(NKJV)

10Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 

And finally God promises to those of us who persevere that He will protect us in the final days!